BBBBRRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!!!! It is 4:00 AM and the first of three alarm clocks is going off for the first time. I smack the snooze button and then my husband to tell him it is time to get up. About an hour and three alarm clocks later, we actually get out of bed. I catatonically walk to the kitchen to fix my husband's lunch and coffee -- which we forgot to do the night before and he now needs help with since he is running late for staying in bed an extra hour. I then give him a kiss and go back to bed.

BBBBRRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!!!! It is now 7:00 AM and time to get myself and kids up and around. I wake up my stepson and fix his breakfast while he gets dressed. While he is eating, I get myself ready and pick out my daughter's clothes. She gets to sleep until it is time to leave, thanks to my WONDERFUL babysitter that feeds her breakfast and gets her dressed after she eats.

It is now a few minutes before school starts and we head out the door. I take Dylan to school and Lexi to the sitters. Then I am off to classes myself (I have returned to college). I get out of classes and go pick up the kids. We come home, fix dinner, and start baths. My husband does not get home from work until around 7:00 PM, so after he eats I'm usually doing dishes until bedtime. After the kids are in bed, it is time for me to do my homework for the next day and relax (usually by getting on the computer for a few minutes - gotta do Epinions at some point!). It is normally about 11:00 PM to Midnight when I finally get myself to bed. I catch some sleep only to start all over again the next day.

If you think I need extra time, you are absolutely right! I know I am not alone in this quest for needed time, and this is where the magazine Quick Cooking comes in. Quick Cooking is a magazine put out by Taste of Home Magazine. Both of these are excellent magazines and well worth the subscription price, but Quick Cooking is definitely the best of the two. This is the handiest magazine that I have ever subscribed to. The entire magazine is recipes and all are devoted to saving us time in the kitchen.

The recipes are submitted by readers and prizes are given to the top recipes. Each issue has specific contest categories. For instance, one issue the category might be breads; another, casseroles. They vary from issue to issue. The main contest for that issue includes the winners' recipes on recipe cards placed in the center of the magazine. The cards are not on heavier paper stock, however, so if you use a recipe card file, it is helpful to laminate them. All recipes are prepared and tasted in their kitchen before being printed. For this reason, it is rare to get a recipe that you do not like (I have only tried one that I didn't care for).

The magazine is also divided in several different ways, so it is easy to find just the recipe that you're looking for. At the beginning of the magazine, they have a "menu." The recipes here are categorized by breakfast, lunch, dinner, or special meals. For these, they have placed together appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, & desserts that go well together. At the end of the book, there is an index that allows you to mix and match the recipes yourself to make your own menu, organized by category (appetizer, beverage, main dishes, etc) in alphabetical order. Here at the end there is another feature that I especially like. Here they list the organizational features of the magazine's layout. There are categories such as Centsible Foods, Give Me 5 or Fewer, and Ten Minutes to the Table, with the page numbers that each of these categories of recipes can be found on.

Centsible Foods includes recipes that are good on a family budget. Most are under $1.00/serving. All list the cost per serving and it is not uncommon to have recipes that are only $0.30/serving.

Give Me 5 or Fewer includes recipes with five ingredients or less. These are really simple recipes that are usually the easiest to prepare.

Ten Minutes to the Table are recipes that can be prepared, cooked, and served within ten minutes. Talk about a time saver!!!! These recipes are simple to prepare, but great to eat. They are a great alternative to fast food or TV Dinners on nights when there is a rush, because they are healthier and often quicker.

There are other categories besides for these, but these three are my favorites. I would recommend this magazine to anyone needing to save time (don't we all?) and still wanting to cook for their family. It is like getting a new cookbook with every issue, because there are no advertisements in this magazine to weigh it down -- only recipes. It is, by far, the best cooking magazine I have found yet.


Recommended: Yes

Recommended For: Anyone